The expansion and improvement of cable television systems (sometimes referred to as community antenna television or CATV systems) have made it possible for cable companies to provide a variety of programming services to subscribers. These services typically include a multitude of television channels that are viewed on the subscriber's television. Some cable companies also provide music channels that are connected to a subscriber's stereo system through a subscriber terminal.
Although CATV systems were originally designed to distribute television signals in the "downstream" direction only (i.e., from a central "headend" location to multiple subscriber locations, which is also known as the "forward" path), the advent of pay-per-view services and of other interactive television applications has fueled the development of bidirectional or "two-way" cable systems. These two-way cable systems also provide for the transmission of signals from the subscriber locations back to the headend via an "upstream" direction or a "reverse" path.
By upgrading conventional CATV systems to increase their bandwidth, cable service providers can use the additional channels gained by this wider bandwidth network to provide many new subscriber services. The ever-expanding deployment of fiber optic technology supports the implementation of an "interactive network" that allows a subscriber to obtain desirable services or programming at a time and date specified by the subscriber. Indeed, it is feasible that this interactive network will have sufficient bandwidth to supply hundreds of channels of programming information, thereby leading to an explosion of program options available to subscribers. Potential subscriber services supported by this interactive network include Movies on Demand (MOD) or Video on Demand (VOD), interactive music channels, interactive computing, shopping, entertainment, and other related services.
An interactive network makes it possible for subscribers to have immediate access to vast selections of music. For example, record companies may provide catalogs of their music for subscribers to listen to via an interactive network. Similarly, various publishers may compile playlists of various styles of music (e.g., Jazz, Classical, Top 40, etc.) that will be available to subscribers via an interactive network.
When music catalogs are available via an interactive network, a subscriber must have a way to select the music he or she would like to listen to. The computers that form a part of an interactive network facilitate selection by song title, artist, or album name. As in a record store, music may also be classified and searched by style (e.g., Jazz, Classical, Top 40, etc.). Thus, in an interactive network, it will be very simple for a subscriber to select a specific song.
However, unless a subscriber is familiar with a particular artist or song title, there is no simple way to identify other music that the subscriber may enjoy. Because of the subjective nature of such a decision, there is no simple way for a subscriber to identify additional music that is similar to a song he or she likes. This is a significant disadvantage in an environment where a large assortment of music is readily available.
When a listener browses published playlists, the playlists are typically described by a short title, such as Jazz, Classical, Top 40, Progressive Rock, etc. When a subscriber listens to such a playlist, there is no simple way for the subscriber to get a clearer idea of the specific types of music that are included in the playlist. Similarly, there is no simple way for a subscriber to alter the mix of the songs that are played back from the playlist.
In summary, there is no simple, effective way for a subscriber to identify and select music he or she is likely to enjoy on the basis of the music's subjective content and its similarity to a song the subscriber is familiar with. Furthermore, there is no way for a user to quickly assess the mix of music included in a playlist and to alter the mix of music played from the playlist.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system that allows a subscriber to pick a song he or she likes and to then identify additional songs that include similar subjective content. Likewise, there is a need in the art for a system that allows a user to perceive the content of a playlist and alter the mix of songs played from the playlist.